PHNOM PENH, March 23 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia has registered five newborn Mekong Irrawaddy dolphin calves with two deaths so far this year, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said in a news release on Saturday.
A newborn calf was spotted on Friday at a dolphin pool in Stung Treng province's Siem Bouk district by a team of researchers from the Fisheries Administration and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).
"This newborn dolphin was seen swimming alongside a pod of six other dolphins," the news release said.
"On the same day, the researcher team also discovered another newborn dolphin, aged one or two days old, died in Kratie province's Preaek Prasab district, about 10 km from the Kampi dolphin pool," it added.
The death of the baby dolphin was likely caused by abuse from adult dolphins, the news release said.
"As of March 23, 2024, Cambodia has found five newborn dolphins with two deaths," it said.
The Mekong Irrawaddy dolphins have been listed as critically endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species since 2004.
It is estimated that there are approximately 90 Irrawaddy dolphin population living along a 180-km main channel of the Mekong River in northeast Stung Treng and Kratie provinces. ■
